MAX OPPENHEIMER | STREICHQUARTETT (STRING QUARTET)

Edith Goldman Cooper, New York (acquired directly from the artist in 1948)

Thence by descent to the present owner

A dynamic example of Oppenheimer's iconic compositions featuring the Vienna Philharmonic, the present work was acquired from the artist by the grandmother of the present owner, Edith Cooper, and has remained in the same family since. In 1935, Edith Cooper, based in Hollywood, California, established a Jewish relief fund to assist artists, writers and other intellectuals under threat of Nazi persecution. In 1938, she aided Max Oppenheimer's departure from Germany to Switzerland and his onward journey to the United States and remained in contact with him throughout his years in New York.

Born in Vienna, Oppenheimer was a prolific member of the Austrian avant-garde in the early 1900s and shared a studio with his friend Egon Schiele. Music became a predominant theme in his works by 1914 and he completed many compositions of members of the Vienna Philharmonic before his departure from Europe. During this time, Oppenheimer was heavily influenced by both Cubism and Futurism, two radical movements sweeping across neighboring France and Italy. The dynamic brushwork characteristic of these movements is plainly evident in Streichquartett (String Quartet).